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Home helps, of whom 3,124 full-time and part-time were employed at the end of
the year, continued to provide a very needful service, particularly in relation to the care
of aged and chronic sick persons who comprised about four out of five cases assisted.
Domestic
help service
The volume ot assistance given to all categories has increased by 65 per cent, since 1949.
Special efforts were made to utilise the service of child helps outside normal hours
to prevent children having to be taken into care outside their home during periods of
domestic difficulties.
There was a slight though welcome improvement in the immunity state ot children
under five years of age due to an increase in the number of primary immunisations
against diphtheria from 36,004 in 1953 to 47,621 in 1954. The estimated percentage at the
end of the year of children 0-4 years who had at any time been immunised against
diphtheria was about 55 per cent. If the continuation of the present freedom from
diphtheria is to be ensured, the proportion of immunised children under five years,
and particularly under one year, must be substantially increased. No effort is being
spared to achieve this object, though the measure of success will depend ultimately on
the parents.
Prophylaxis
In spite of the fact that no publicity is given to whooping cough immunisation, the
demand from parents to have their children immunised against this disease continues
to grow and during the past four years has increased four-fold. The present generation
of parents are undoubtedly familiar with whooping cough and appreciate its potential
danger more than in the case of diphtheria.
The numbers of children vaccinated in their first year of life against smallpox has
almost doubled since 1949 and during 1954 was 49 per cent. of the annual live births.
This compares very favourably with the figure of 34.5 per cent. for England and Wales,
but the importance of having more infants vaccinated as a routine procedure and revaccinated
in later years cannot be over-emphasised.
The directly provided and ancillary services of the London ambulance service
removed a record number of over one million patients in journeys comprising more
than five and a half million miles. To effect the maximum economy in vehicle mileage
and to relieve pressure on the central control room the practice of establishing direct
contact between hospitals, clinics and local general ambulance stations and the stationing
of vehicles at hospitals was further developed. Greater use was made of rail transport for
long journeys. A new accident ambulance station was opened in Hampstead and work
was commenced on building a further station in each of Wandsworth and Woolwich.
The London
ambulance
service
Insufficient accommodation in observation wards for the admission of persons
suffering from mental illness and the shortage of institutional accommodation for
mental deficiency cases, led the Council to make further representations to the Regional
Hospital Boards and the Minister of Health. The accommodation in occupation centres
for mental defectives was supplemented and at the end of the year a further 130 places
had been provided making total accommodation for 935 persons. A summary of the
Council's recommendations to the Royal Commission on the Law relating to Mental
Illness and Mental Deficiency is set out on page 92.
Mental
health
services
The success of the establishment in East London of a special welfare clinic for backward
children under five years of age led to the opening during 1954 of six further
clinics to provide such a service throughout the County.
As fifty years have now elapsed since the Council assumed responsibility as a local
education authority from the London School Board it was thought appropriate to
include in this report a historical sketch of the origin, development and present organisation
of the School Health Service and this is set out in Appendix C on page 167.
School
health
service
During 1954 a further survey of the heights and weights of a sample of school
children was carried out. A full report has been published separately* but details as to
average heights and weights under age and sex and some data on the relationship of
height and weight to the onset of puberty are given on page 98.
* Report on the Heights and Weights of school pupils in the County of London in 1954. Staples Press Ltd.,
London.
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